Winds of Change
by JillyWillyBean
Summary: Just a little one shot about Legolas...


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Hey folks! I really love Tolkien and all his fabulous work, so I thought I'd try to do a LOTR ficcy for once. I usually do Harry Potter fics so… here goes nothing!

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            He walked the forest in a lonely stupor. Much had changed in the world since the time he had entered it. Thinking back to a time long ago, he looked around him at the trees. They were withered and worn, looking ages beyond the saplings he had once known them to be. While the life that was rooted in the ground had been untouched by the plagues of war, it was touched by the plagues of time. Still, however, the trees and their crisp and fallen leaves reveled in some unearthly beauty. A cryptic and ancient wind stirred the place slightly, but as soon as it had come it had past. Sunlight poured through brittle branches splaying down onto the covered ground. It seemed as if every particle was placed in exactly the right place, and that any sudden movements would bring the whole tumbling to abyss. With a sigh, the aged elf took his hand from the trunk it had been resting upon and gazed towards the treetops. Even with the changing of seasons, the branches never seemed to be bare. Giving the kind blossoms a faint smile, he turned to see a figure approaching. Her footsteps were unheard and her breathing invisible, yet his keen ears could pick up the sounds of even his own kindred.

_"Arwen," _he nodded in greeting. The Elvin man admired this woman above many for she was noble and full of virtue. Her eyes were the colour of the raging sea, something that had been on his mind of late. His people had left these shores, taking the ethereal mystic and beauty with them. The presence of the few elves left on Middle Earth could be felt, but only just. While this elf in particular felt no urgent debt to the place he called home, he did feel love towards it.

_"You know for which reasons I come, Legolas?" _For a moment the male pretended he did not hear. Words failed to express the jumble of emotions that ran through his body. He knew why she had come and it pained him. However, his stoic jaw and hardened eyes hid it well.

_"Yes, I know." _His voice betrayed nothing save but weariness. Tenderly, as if afraid to ruin the magic creeping through the air, Legolas reached down for one of the brittle leaves. Smoothing it with his nimble fingers, he closed his eyes and murmured soft words of parting.

_"Then, you will leave?" _She spoke to him again. Her voice brought back thoughts of days long ago. He remembered the battles, the war, the…companions. All of those who had originally set out on the fellowship were long since passed. Of the nine, two were in the grey havens, one having his burdens having been taken from him. Looking over to the saddened face of the woman that stood near him, Legolas murmured some more words. She had been faithful to her promise and had wandered the lands in mourning ever since Aragorn's death. Nothing could change her love about the man that had parted from her forever. That fact alone showed on her face. With a strong surge of energy, Legolas' respect for her increased in the moments he realized that.

_"This is the only home I have ever known. It would only cause me pain to leave it behind…" _his voice drifted off. She was the last of the elder kin. All of the elves that had chosen to remain behind for the time being were younger. Reckless and unwise they cared little for the sufferings of the past or for the heritage of their people. Or so it seemed to him, but perhaps he was just bitter… True, they had been taught the old ways, yet there was something inexplicably new and aberrant about them. They had not the wisdom of Elrond, nor the grace of Galadrial. They were simply, different. Most regarded Legolas in some sort of awe and left him to his own insane wanderings amongst the woods he loved so much. The trees had become accustomed to his presence as if he were one of them himself.

_"The Valar will protect you and make you a home amongst them." _Though her words were meant to comfort they did little for his disposition. Ignoring her for the present, Legolas let his eyes travel over his friends once again. If he had to leave it behind, he would embed it to his memory at least.

_"The winds of change are not always pleasant," _he attempted. Arwen nodded in somber agreement. 

_"Would you have me stay?" _he asked her cautiously. True, he had never known Arwen in depth, yet he still valued her say. She had made her decision years ago, and even through heartbreak it had proved the better choice.

_"I would have you be content. If your heart would not find sanctuary amongst the heavens, then I would have you stay here." _He nodded glumly. She had been vague in her advice, yet it was good counsel nonetheless.

_"I fear I have woven too much of myself in to this place," _he said as he attempted a weak smile. A feather light hand touched his shoulder and turned to face its owner. Her eyes spoke for her.

_"You would be lonely and restless…" _he nodded in agreement. She was, of course, speaking of the loneliness she herself felt. Yet he knew that she did not regret her decision for a moment. He only wondered if he would regret his own… Turning once again, he faced west and looked out into the puzzle of trees. Closing his eyes in reverence, Legolas let his heart take over and heeded not what spewed from his lips. An eerily beautiful song played on his lips, half in lament and half in bittersweet parting. Sighing, the air in his lungs becoming one with the soft wind, he nodded.

_"May the grace of the Valar go with you Legolas Greenleaf. You shall find solace in the times to come. Go in peace…" _giving his brothers one last glance of longing, he heeded her words. With proficiency and cunning, he walked silently through the woods. The air seemed thick with sadness and longing. The trees were weeping for him. With a backwards glance Legolas saw that Arwen had gone. As he reached the edge of the wood he hesitated for a moment but then kept moving. With agility he began to run sweeping the day into his lungs and breathing it. He had never been an elf of many words, and it seemed to him that this was the only way he knew to say good-by. After what may have seemed like ages (but to him it felt like mere seconds) a soft shore approached. Though it was filled with a rugged beauty it looked disheartening to him. While he could not deny the beauty of the shore that fast-ly neared, he could feel discontented looking at it. Gaining control of himself once again, he looked out to the pale assembly of elves that were gathered on the shoreline. All were cloaked and held a holy sort of beauty. A few of the elder looked pleased to see him approach, but most just glazed over him in a reverent kind of awe. The turbulent waters had calmed to a counterfeit stillness causing shudders to run down his spine. It seemed as even the waters revered the elves as something precious. By now his bosom was heaving with emotion and his thoughts were in turmoil. He couldn't do it; he couldn't leave behind the beauteous world that the Valar had created. They had made it for him, for his people, for the elves. Leaving it behind would be an act of ungratefulness. Without a second thought he turned ignoring the pleas of those around him. With a bitter sense of selfishness, he ran, this time embracing the day in full wealth. 

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            Silent prayers of relief were murmured as he made his way once again through the wood. Every now and then he would stop, lean his forehead or hand against a trunk and mutter incoherent apologies. His ears were not so fine tuned this time.

_"I knew you would not go. You are a restless spirit Legolas Greenleaf." _Her soft voice awoke him from his reverie. Pulling his eyes downwards he thought of words to say but could find none. After what seemed an eternity (and maybe it was) he spoke.

_"The Valar will understand." _He said it flatly and giving way to no emotion. It could be said, however, that the gods had been visiting his dreams of late, asking their lost son to be at peace. They would know, and they would understand. After all, hadn't they created the love that had Legolas so helplessly bound?

_"Sometimes the winds of change are pleasant," _a faint smile played on his lips. He would have the woods to himself. He would have the fields, and the leaves, and the blossoms, and every ounce of nature to himself. He would show each and every ounce of good creation how much he appreciated it, and the Valar would be pleased.

_"Yes, they will know." _

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FINITE!

AN: Yah, I know it's a little pointless, but I enjoyed writing it.


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